Post-mayoral Career
Between 1983 and 1986, Rizzo served as a security consultant at The Philadelphia Gas Works—controversially, as he held this post while drawing his city pension—and hosted one of Philadelphia's most popular radio talk shows, a tradition later emulated by his son, Republican City Councilman Frank Rizzo, Jr. During his time at PGW, he saved the utility over 3 million dollars by curbing the theft of gas.
Rizzo had been a Republican until the Dilworth Administrtion, then a Democrat while mayor, even while supporting Richard Nixon; he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for mayor in 1983, losing to Wilson Goode. In 1986, he switched to the Republican Party, and ran as a Republican in the mayoral election of 1987, and set out to do so again in 1991.
In 1991, Rizzo won the Republican primary against former Philadelphia District Attorney (and later chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court) Ron Castille, in a hardball campaign where Rizzo made accusations about Castille's drinking habits and his veracity. Rizzo's win brought some rumblings of a last political hurrah, with Rizzo vowing to break stereotypes associated with his political legacy, and vowing specifically to campaign in black neighborhoods (which, in fact, he did).On the Friday before his death, he walked through the largely black West Philadelphia 52nd Street neighborhood with community leaders. His response from the Black Community was "We need you back Frank, we can't go out our front doors without fear of being killed".
For the November contest against the Democratic candidate, former District Attorney (and later two-term Pennsylvania governor) Ed Rendell, there were also expectations that Rizzo would again employ hardball tactics. On July 16, 1991, Rizzo died of a massive heart attack shortly after his primary victory. He was pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m. EDT at Thomas Jefferson Hospital.
Joseph M. Egan, Jr. replaced Rizzo as the Republican nominee. Rendell went on to win the November election and serve two terms as mayor.
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